JUST WANNA BE YOUR TEDDY BEAR!
Reza
Najie makes film History as Best Actor at Berlinale '08
Darius KADIVAR
Reports from Europe
Sally
Hawkins Best Actress for Happy-Go-Lucky, Reza Najie Best Actor for Majid Majidi's The
Song of Sparrows as Special Children's Jury selects Hana
Makhmalbaf for Best Feature Film for Buda Az Sharm Foru
Rikht ©imdb.com
"I am glad to see that the
'Song of Sparrows' has attracted attention of the people, and I think this
prize was my fair share." - Reza Najie Acceptance Speech
Four
movies by prominent Iranian filmmakers were screened and competed for the Top
Golden Bear Prize and several other categories including for Best Actor in at
the 58th edition of the Berlin Film Festival in Germany. Majid Majidi's The
Song of Sparrows, Manijeh Hekmat's 3 Women, Hana Makhmalbaf's Buddha
collapsed out of Shame and Tanaz Eshaghian's Be Like Other. But it
was director Majid Majidi's leading actor Reza Najie that truly made
film history by winning the Silver Bear for Best Actor, a First for an
Iranian actor to date thus joining the long list of prestigious actors in film history
to have been awarded with this Award since its inception in 1956 ( The Golden
Bear however was founded in 1951). He is the 2nd Iranian to
be awarded at the Berlin Film Festival, the first being director Bahman Ghobadi
with his movie Turtles Can Fly, in 2004,
winning the Glass Bear and Peace Film Award. The Silver bear for Best
actress was confered to British actress Sally Hawkins for Mike Leigh's drama Happy
Go Lucky. The Festival's Top Prize The Golden Bear for best film went to Brazilian Jose Padilha's controversial film The Elite Squad.
Hana Makhmalbaf was the other lucky Iranian compatriot to win the Special
Children Jury selection Prize for her already critically acclaimed drama Buddha
collapsed out of Shame focusing on the trauma's of childhood set in war torn
Afghanistan.
The Berlin International Film Festival,
also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals held in
Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in
February since 1978. With 230,000 tickets sold and over 430,000 admissions it
is considered the largest publicly-attended film festival worldwide. Up to 400
films are shown in several sections, representing a comprehensive array of the
cinematic world. Around twenty films competing for the awards called the Golden
and Silver Bears. Since 2001 the director of the festival has been Dieter
Kosslick.
Director Costa-Gavras ( Z,
State of Siege, Missing) presided this year's Jury '08: Shu Qi, Uli
Hanisch, Alexander Rodnyansky, Diane Kruger, Walter Murch ©imdb.com
The European Film Market (EFM), a film trade fair held
simultaneously to the Berlinale, is a major industry meeting for the international
film circuit once a year. The trade fair serves distributors, film buyers,
producers, financiers and co-production agents. The Berlinale Talent Campus, a
week long series of lectures and workshops, gathers young filmmakers from
around the globe. It partners with the festival itself and is considered to be
a forum for upcoming artists.
The
festival, the EFM and other satellite events are attended by more than 20,000
professionals from over 120 countries. Around 4200 journalists are responsible
for the media exposure in more than 100 countries. At high-profile feature film
premieres, movie stars and celebrities are present at the red carpet. The
Berlinale has established a cosmopolitan character integrating art, glamour,
commerce, politics and a global media attention.
A Star is Born: Reza Najie in The
Song of Sparrows
In
"The Song of Sparrows," the Oscar-nominated Iranian director Majid
Majidi tells the story of Karim, who lives contentedly with his wife and
children on the outskirts of the capital and works on an ostrich farm.
After
events result in him being fired, Karim is forced to search for work in the
city where his efforts to eke out a living lead to further problems for both
himself and his family.
The film, which received its world premiere in Berlin
where it was one of 21 entries competing for the Golden Bear top prize, is a
gentle cautionary tale that contrasts pastoral innocence with urban guile.
"For
me ,the message is that we shouldn't keep asking for more and more, or make too
many demands which will only lead us to ruin," Majidi said after a press
screening.
Muslim beliefs and traditions
are interwoven into the film's fabric, but always as a cultural reference point
rather than a religious ideology.
"My
religious convictions are rooted in family," Majidi said.
Hana Makhmalkbaf's "Buddha
Collapsed Out of Shame" has received Very good Reviews in the European Press.
The festival also showcased young Iranian co-directors Ayat
Najaf (See Photo)i and David Assmann's documentary Football
Under Cover
©imdb.com
I grew up in a religious family and these values have
accompanied me all my life. For me the question is not what we believe, but
where our religious values take us and what they lead us to do."
As with
"The Children of Heaven," for which Majidi received an Oscar
nomination in 1999, "The Song of Sparrows" also focuses on the
innocence and ingenuity of young children when faced with hardship.
First
leading role actor of Iranian full length feature movie 'Avaaz-e Gonjeshk Haa'
(Song of the Sparrows), Reza Naji, won Silver Bear Award of 58th Berlin Film
Festival Saturday evening.
Naji in
an interview on the sidelines of the festival's award giving ceremony while
expressing delight over winning the prestigious prize, said, "I am glad to
see that the 'Song of Sparrows' has attracted attention of the people, and I
think this prize was my fair share."
Award Ceremony
Highlights: Golden Bear for best film Brazilian
goes to Jose Padilha's The Elite Squad, Errol
Morris Best documentary Standard Operating
Procedure, a documentary about Iraq. Two Bears for Paul Thomas Anderson's There will be blood. Fernando
Eimbcke prize for most innovative film, for Lake Tahoe. In Love We Trust
actors with Best screen writer Wang Xiaoshuai ©imdb.com
Focusing
on his role in the movie, the Iranian actor said, "I got along with my
role in this movie pretty well, because I had thoroughly studied the filmscript
in advance and I was very familiar with the geography and anthropology of
Tehran, so I faced no problem while acting out my role."
Offering
an abstract of the filmscript, Naji said, "The film is about the children,
their happiness and their sadness. A group of children lose their gold fish,
and then, in order to soothe them I sing a song for them on worthlessness of
material belongings, which I think is the part that attracted the maximum
attention of the audience."
A STAR IS BORN : Reza Najie
Wins Berlin Silver Bear for Best Actor. He joins the prestigious list of other
awardees of Berlin Biennale's long history ©imdb.com
Other
Awardees:
A total of 21 pictures were screened in competition in the German
capital for the 58th festival.
The Elite Squad, a violent tale of corrupt drug-squad officers in Brazil, has
won the Golden Bear, the top prize at the annual Berlin Film Festival. It had
created unprecedented interest upon its release in Brazil, because of its
portrayal of a police force willing to torture and kill unarmed suspects.
Producer Marcos Prado said the award "gives us the strength to go
forward".
The UK's Sally Hawkins was best actress for Happy-Go-Lucky. Born
in London, 31-year-old Hawkins has also appeared in Mike Leigh's abortion drama
Vera Drake and has had an extensive television career. The Rada-trained performer's
TV appearances include several Little Britain episodes and the controversial
lesbian drama Tipping the Velvet.
The Awardees and Jury Line Up for Photo call ©viewimages.com
Hawkins said she was "on the edge of tears" in her
acceptance speech.
US filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson took the prize for best director
for There Will Be Blood. This epic story of an oil prospector is already
nominated in eight categories at the Oscars, which are being held on 24
February.
Chinese director Wang Xiaoshuai received the prize for best for In
Love We Trust, while Lake Tahoe, directed by Fernando Eimbcke of Mexico,
was named most innovative film.
See Complete List of Awardees
Crystal Bear to Hana Makhmalbaf's Budda
Hana Makhmalbaf's Buda Az Sharm Foru Rikht (Buddha
collapsed out of Shame) has won The Crystal Bear-at Berlin International Film Festival.
The ten day long festival is closing today.
According
to the official release of the festival "This film is exciting and provocative
and at the same time it is very shocking. It is about a little girl who is
struggling to be allowed to go to school. We were moved by the poignant way the
film depicts how a country dominated by violence affects the everyday life of
children. The film showed us the senselessness of just sending soldiers to a
troubled region. More necessary are people who can convince children that
violence is not the solution."
The
Crystal Bear for the Best Short Film went to Nana by Warwick Thornton
(Australia)
"A little
girl is talking about her special relationship with her dear old nana. She is
always cooking for her granddaughter and looking after the old people in the
village. But there's another side to her as well. The film is funny and full of
humour."
The
Special Mention for a Feature Film goes to Titanics ti liv by Grethe Bøe
(Norway)
"Great actors
combined with an excitement and mystery were the ingredients which convinced us
in this film. The story was also accompanied by wonderful music."
The
Special Mention for a Short Film goes to New Boy by Steph Green (Ireland)
"The plot
is easy to follow even though there is not much dialogue. The portrayal of the
characters' feelings touched us and swept us along and the reminder of Joseph's
earlier homeland gave us a realistic insight into his former life as well as
his feelings. In the end we learned that having prejudices just isn't worth
it."
Note: The
Crystal Bears, the main prizes in the Generation section of the festival are
awarded by a Children's Jury and a Youth Jury.
A total of 21 pictures were screened in competition in the German
capital for the 58th festival.
VIVE REZA NAJIE !
VIVE HANA MAKHMALBAF!
&
VIVE LE CINEMA! ;0)
Authors
Notes:
Official Website of 58th Annual Berlin Film Festival
Recommended
Readings:
Majidi's Sparrow Eye's Berlin Bear by Darius KADIVAR
Persepolis Still in the Race! by Darius KADIVAR
About the Author: Darius
KADIVAR is a Freelance Journalist, Film Historian, and Media Consultant. He is
international Correspondent for OCPC Magazine and contributes to the IC
publications of The Middle East. and Persian
Heritage.
